Yard tracking system

• US 6,637,703 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2001
• Issued: 10/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GE Transportation Systems Global Signaling LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: GE Harris Railway Electronics, LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Inventors: Whitfield, Russell, Matheson, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Morano, S. Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Olson, Lars A
• Application Number:
  US10/026,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20020084387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 246/124, 246/122.R, 342/44, 342/51, 180/168, 180/169, 348/119, 104/27, 104/28, 104/29, 700/215
• US Class Current: 246/124
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 17/00 Switching systems for classification yards
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/025 Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates

Abstract

A method for identifying and determining the position of rolling stock within a railyard using a system that includes an AEI reader, a plurality of elevated electronic imaging devices and a tracking computer. The rolling stock includes a plurality of railcars and a plurality of locomotives. The method includes recording an identification pattern for each piece of rolling stock as each piece enters the railyard, compiling tracking data of the rolling stock as the rolling stock moves within the railyard using the respective identification patterns, and mapping the position of each piece of rolling stock as the rolling stock moves within the railyard.

Claims

1. A method for identifying and determining the position of rolling stock within a railyard using a system that includes a video imaging device adjacent an entrance to the railyard, constituting an entry video imaging device, for capturing images in electronic data of the external appearance of each piece of rolling stock generally at the time of entry of the piece of rolling stock into the railyard, a plurality of video imaging devices at spaced locations in the railyard, constituting railyard-wide video imaging devices, for capturing images in electronic data of the external appearance of the pieces of rolling stock in the railyard, a database with data representative of a map of the railyard and a tracking computer in communication with the database and the entry and railyard-wide video imaging devices, the rolling stock includes a plurality of railcars and a plurality of locomotives, said method comprising:

recording a video image of the shape of each piece of rolling stock generally at the time each piece enters the railyard;

transmitting imaging data from the entry video imaging device to the tracking computer;

recording video images of the shape of the pieces of rolling stock located in the railyard via the railyard-wide video imaging devices at timed intervals;

transmitting imaging data from the railyard-wide video imaging devices to the tracking computer;

processing the imaging data from the entry and railyard-wide video imaging devices in the tracking computer to associate the image of each piece of rolling stock as said piece of rolling stock enters the railyard with subsequent images of the said piece of rolling stock as it moves through the railyard; and

determining the position of each piece of rolling stock in the railyard as the rolling stock moves within the railyard.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the system includes an AEI reader, and an AEI tag is coupled to each piece of rolling stock, said method further comprises:

positioning the plurality of video imaging devices such that rolling stock may be viewed with the plurality of video imaging devices as the rolling stock enters the railyard; and

collecting AEI data from each AEI tag using the AEI reader as each piece of rolling stock enters the railyard.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2 further comprising:

processing AEI data for each piece of rolling stock using an AEI computer; and

capturing a video image of each piece of rolling stock as the AEI data from each AEI tag is collected.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3 wherein the tracking computer includes a processor and an electronic storage device, the tracking computer connected to a display and a dispatcher interface, said method further comprising:

transmitting each video image from the plurality of video imaging devices to the tracking computer; and

communicating the processed AEI data for each piece of rolling stock from the AEI computer to the tracking computer.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4 further comprising:

correlating the AEI data for each piece of rolling stock with the video image that was captured using the tracking computer; and

storing the master video image, the AEI data, and the correlation data for each piece of rolling stock in the electronic storage device.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein compiling tracking data comprises:

positioning video imaging devices at a plurality of selected locations within the railyard;

capturing a video image of each piece of rolling stock throughout the railyard using the plurality of video imaging devices, each of the plurality of video imaging devices capturing the video images of the rolling stock; and

repeating the capturing of video images at a specific duty cycle.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein a pattern recognition and tracking algorithm is stored on the electronic storage device and executable by the processor, said method further comprising:

communicating video images from the plurality of video imaging devices to the tracking computer each time a video image is captured; and

interpreting the secondary video images with the pattern recognition and tracking algorithm.

8. A method in accordance with claim 7 further comprising:

correlating the interpreted video images to video images stored within the computer; and

identifying each piece of rolling stock using the correlations.

9. A method in accordance with claim 8 further comprising:

determining the location of each piece of identified rolling stock utilizing the recognition and tracking algorithm each time a piece of rolling stock is identified; and

storing the location of each piece of rolling stock in the electronic storage device each time the location is determined.

10. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein a mapping program is stored on the electronic storage device and executed by the processor, mapping the position of the rolling stock comprises:

computing mapping coordinates of each piece of rolling stock using the mapping program each time the location is determined; and

graphically displaying the location of each piece of rolling stock on the display each time the mapping coordinates are computed.